New Pell Grant rules hurting college enrollment

JACKSON — New regulations enacted by Congress in June have stripped Pell Grant eligibility from nearly 3,000 Mississippi students.

According to a recently completed study of the impact of the new Pell Grant regulations on Mississippi two-year colleges, the changes led to lower enrollments for the fall 2012 semester at 14 of the state’s 15 community colleges.

Without a strong statewide college tuition program, University of Alabama Education Policy Center Director Stephen Katsinas tells The Clarion-Ledger the Pell Grant program serves as the de facto student aid program, making Pell a key economic development driver for the state’s future workforce.

In addition to the 2,960 students who lost eligibility for Pell Grants last fall, Kastinas says another 7,154 will lose eligibility in the next several semesters because of new requirements.